During the Leiden International Film Festival (LIFF), the documentary Against the Current had its official premiere before an audience of friends, acquaintances, and interested film enthusiasts.
What drives someone to cross a country alone for a seemingly hopeless cause? Merijn Tinga paddles 1,250 kilometers through France – through blisters, political rejection, and moments of despair. “Why the hell do I do this?” he asks himself aloud. His journey from Paris to Nice becomes an existential confrontation with our throwaway culture and the limits of individual courage. In a world drowning in plastic waste, he seeks allies but mostly finds himself. A story about perseverance when giving up seems more logical.
Runtime: 32 minutes 23 seconds / Date: October 17, 2025 / Director: Jasper Strik / Languages: EN – FR (dubbed) / Subtitles: NL – EN – FR
Premiere during LIFF
LIFF was founded in 2006 and has grown into one of the most important film festivals in the Netherlands. The 2025 edition took place from October 9 to October 19, and featured over 100 films from all over the globe, ranging from arthouse films to mainstream movies, and everything in between!
Shown at Museum-Omniversum Dome
The doc was also shown at the Museum-Omniversum Dome during a public showing. It was promoted in our network, and we invited friends and family to join us at this special viewing.
This docu is a collaboration of people and organisations.
The docu was made possible by organisations like, Reloop platform france, Wings of the Ocean but also media partners like France 24, France 3 Bourgogne.
We got a lot of sponsors like Severne, Volvo, Synprodo, Kabisa, Citroën, Liberty Global, Vaude, Nedergear, Starboard, Allianz Benelux & Prolimit
Presskit
Details about the docu available at Film Freeway.
Press & interviews
Esther Leystra / esther-at-plasticsoupsurfer.org
Talks, presentations & programming
Sascha Goutier / Management-at-plasticsoupsurfer.org